Local

NEWBERRY ‒ Newberry City Commissioner Mark Clark and former City Commissioner and State Representative Debbie Boyd joined an ad hoc committee formed in February to work on Newberry Veterans Memorial. The project is designed to honor all veterans and Boyd characterized the group as “very passionate about the project.”

Local artist Paula Willis worked with the committee to formulate a conceptual design and the committee considered five locations for the Veterans Park. A presentation was made to the City Commission on March 27 by Boyd with full committee attendance. Boyd’s research was turned over to Newberry City staff, and design planning and engineering began.

Boyd recommended a location at the southwest corner of Lois Forte Park. “We found this to be the best location because the City has plans to reconstruct Northwest 260^th Street, sewer, water and restrooms are already available and the location is accessible,” said Boyd. “In addition, that location will be highly visible from the west-bound pairs when State Road 26 is reconstructed. There is also plenty of parking and room for veteran-related events at that park.”

The committee turned their attention to fundraising with a goal to raise $100,000 - $150,000 for the project. “The City of Newberry is a very committed major partner and has approved $350,000 of Wild Spaces Public Places funding towards it,” said Boyd. “Because of additional funding opportunities available over the next year, it was recently decided to give the project another year and now plan to dedicate Veterans Park on Veterans Day 2025.”

The Denim & Diamonds Gala is the committee’s first fundraising event and is scheduled to take place on Friday, Nov. 17, from 6 – 10:30 p.m. It is being held to honor veterans and to benefit the Veterans Park project.

The Gala will take place at Clark Plantation with the venue and resources donated by Libby and George Bridges. Celebrations Catering will be catering the event and WCJB Anchor David Snyder will be master of ceremonies. Purple Star recipient Joel Rousseau will be the guest speaker and Josh Taylor will be the disc jockey for the event. “We have a great line-up of participants to make the Gala a fun evening of dinner and dancing,” said Boyd.

This is a reserved ticket event with capacity set at 200 seats, and online ticket sales have been suspended because sales are at capacity. Anyone interested can request “will call” for tickets that may become available.

Boyd said the committee has received $51,300 in sponsorships for the Gala and memorial with additional donations promised from some of the sponsors after the first of the year.

Revenues and expenditures are handled through the City of Newberry. The Gala does not yet have a bar sponsor and the City has a policy that it will not spend taxpayers’ dollars on alcohol. The Commission voted to allow the purchase of alcohol directly by the committee with funds donated to the event.

Another fundraising opportunity

The Veterans Memorial Committee has a Memorial Brick Campaign to create another community investment opportunity to help raise funds for the Newberry Veterans Memorial. Engraved Memorial Bricks are available for purchase now, will be available for purchase at the Gala and will continue to be available through construction of Veterans Park. Each brick will be incorporated into the Veterans Park as a lasting legacy to honor veterans and commemorate their service. The committee hopes to sell as many bricks as possible prior to construction so that each brick can be incorporated into the final memorial.

More information can be found on the Veterans Memorial Bricks at NewberryVeteransMemorial.com/The-NVM-Project/MemorialBricks or by contacting Debbie Boyd at 352-339-6626 or Mark Clark at 352-317-3482.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ A 35-year-old High Springs man was shot in the stomach at approximately 1:40 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 6. The incident occurred in the vicinity of 25200 N.W. U.S. Highway 27.

According to the High Springs Police Department (HSPD), the homeowner thought the man was attempting to break into the back door of the home and shot the victim through the back door striking the victim in the stomach with a small caliber handgun.

When officers reported to the home, they found the gunshot victim, who was subsequently transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Initially, the shooting incident appears to be accidental. HSPD reports that all parties are cooperating with the investigation, which is ongoing as of late Monday, Oct. 9.

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WALDO ‒ The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Project Manager David Tyler is calling for two public meetings to discuss the revised improvements for the resurfacing project on State Road 24 (Waldo Road) from west of Northeast 141^st Drive to U.S. Highway 301.

“This meeting will inform the public of the proposed alternative and serves as an official forum providing an opportunity for the public to express their opinions and concerns regarding the project,” said Tyler. Along with resurfacing the existing SR 24, it also calls for safety improvement for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The first of two meetings will take place virtually on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. An in-person meeting will take place on Thursday, Oct. 19, at Waldo City Square, 14450 N.E. 148^th Avenue, Waldo. The Oct. 19 meeting includes an open house from 4:30 – 6 p.m. and a presentation and public comment period beginning at 6 p.m.

There are several ways in which the public can participate in these meetings including the in-person option on Oct. 19.

A virtual online option and a “Listen Only” option are available for the Oct. 17 meeting. Interested citizens may register at www.nflroads.com/vph or at attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8689769582249772376. The Phone Option (Listen Only), also on Oct. 17, will begin at 6 p.m. Interested citizens may dial 1-213-493-0005; Audio Access Code 182-614-426.

All participants will receive the same information on the proposed project and all comments received in-person, virtually or electronically, will be given equal weight.

Persons wishing to submit written comments may do so at the public meeting, by mail at Florida Department of Transportation, District Two Office, 1109 S. Marion Avenue, Lake City, Florida 32025-5874 or by email to david.tyler@dot.state.fl.us no later than Oct. 30, to be documented as part of the Public Meeting record.

For more information regarding the project visit the project website at www.nflroads.com/Waldo.

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Today Staff Photo / Newberry City Hall

NEWBERRY – The Newberry City Commission has cleared the way for 850 homesites on 258 acres at the intersection of Southwest 15^th Avenue and Southwest 266^th Street. The unanimous approval by the Commission to change the property’s land use classification and zoning came at the Oct. 9 City Commission meeting.

The Commission unanimously approved on second reading a request by property owners Jason, Mary, James, Connie, Paul, Tammy and Lewis Coleman and Austin, Emma and David Mattox, for a large-scale amendment to the Future Land Use Map classification on 250 +/- acres from Agriculture to Residential Low Density. The property at the intersection of Southwest 15th Avenue and Southwest 266th Street is known as Westone. The subdivision is located within the Urban Services Area and will include 850 detached and attached single-family dwelling units.

The change in the Future Land Use Map and the rezoning request were both initially heard at the Oct. 3, 2022, Planning and Zoning Board and both were approved in a of 3-1 vote to recommend approval of both petitions to the City Commission.

At the Oct. 24, 2022, City Commission meeting, the Commission voted 4-0 to approve the land use change and the rezoning on first reading. The large-scale amendment application was forwarded to the Florida Department of Commerce. That body returned the application to the City of Newberry with comments that resulted in areas affected by the former Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) cleanup site to remain open space.

Also, a traffic impact analysis and an updated Preliminary Development Plan were provided.

Westone Rezoning

The Commission unanimously approved the ordinance on second reading to rezone the same 250 +/- acres plus the additional 8.3 +/- acres from Agricultural (A) and Residential (Mixed) Single-Family/Mobile Home (RSF/MH-2) to Planned Residential Development (PRD).

The City of Newberry’s Principal Planner Jean-Paul Perez said the purpose of the PRD zoning category is to encourage flexible and creative site planning concepts, to preserve natural amenities and efficient use of land.

The 850 single-family residential units are proposed to be located on lot sizes at a minimum area of 5,000 square feet and with a minimum width of 50 feet. The townhouse lot sizes will be built on a minimum area of 2,000 square feet with a 20-foot-width.

Legislative Priorities

The Commission selected six projects out of a list of 25 prepared by staff to request at the upcoming Legislative Session. City Manager Mike New said that last year the City was successful in several areas including receiving two legislative appropriations totaling $2.5 million for the wastewater treatment plant expansion and construction of an elevated water storage tank. In 2022, the legislature appropriated $2.5 million for the wastewater treatment plant expansion. In total, the Commission approved requesting six appropriations projects totaling $23.7 million in the upcoming Legislative Session that starts Jan. 9, 2024 and an additional $4 million through the Florida Jobs Growth Grant Fund.

The Commission will be requesting a $20 million appropriation for construction of a regional wastewater treatment facility in western Alachua County at an estimated cost of $55 million.

Another request will be for $1 million in funding a $5 million elevated water storage tank construction project to support an economic corridor in eastern Newberry. The City has the balance of funding necessary to complete the $5 million project.

The third request is to provide $285,000 in funding to construct a $825,000 memorial for Veterans. Newberry has funded $350,000 and is fundraising for the balance.

A fourth request is for the appropriation of $1.7 million in funding for Newberry’s electric resiliency project to provide redundancy and an underground electric circuit in the downtown district. The project estimate is $5 million with the City funding the balance through its rates and reserves.

The Commission will also request $500,000 for an emergency responder training facility in western Alachua County and a $200,000 request to construct tennis and pickleball courts.

In non-legislative appropriations, the City will be requesting through the Florida Jobs Growth Grant Fund program an additional $4 million for Phase One infrastructure in the Newberry Ag-tech Innovation Park.

Local Business Impact Estimates

In other business, the Commission approved on first reading a local business impact estimate ordinance in compliance with Florida Statutes. If enacted on second reading, the measure will require municipalities to prepare business impact estimates prior to adopting ordinances that impact business owners.

The ordinance will become effective retroactively as of Oct. 1, 2023 and is intended to make local government more transparent. Local governments are required to prepare and publish impact statements on ordinances prior to their adoption. The law increases staff’s level of effort in preparing these impact statements, which may require outside consultants.

Approval of this ordinance authorizes the City to hire a consultant and to charge for the expense, if there is a challenge to an action.

The law also provides a procedure to challenge ordinances that are adopted by local government, while also setting challenge and waiting periods.

Three items listed on the agenda were tabled until all five Commissioners could be in attendance; Commissioner Tim Marden was not at the Oct. 9 meeting. Those items included a discussion of the solid waste collection services agreement with Waste Pro, legal services provided by the city attorney and charter officer annual evaluations. These three items will be discussed at the Oct. 23 meeting.

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Today File Photo / High Springs City Hall

HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The City of High Springs received welcome news as the City has been awarded a $700,000 grant for stormwater and drainage improvements. Those improvements include the new construction of drainage swales, the installation of culvert pipes and a new pump station with six-inch stormwater force main piping.

Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded more than $8.7 million to nine small and rural Florida communities through the Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for housing and community development activities. This builds upon more than $87 million invested in 123 community development projects for Florida communities since 2019.

“I am happy to announce these awards for nine small and rural communities — four of which are actively recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Idalia,” said DeSantis. “Strategic investments like this help expand economic opportunities for families and strengthen our rural communities.”

Florida Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly said, “Governor DeSantis continues to champion community revitalization and economic development initiatives in small and rural communities across the state. Florida Commerce is proud to partner with the communities receiving awards today to help them offer their residents the brightest future possible.”

Allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Florida Commerce administers Florida’s Small Cities CDBG program, which provides funding for economic development initiatives through neighborhood revitalization, housing rehabilitation and commercial revitalization.

Other cities receiving grants through this program include the cities of Williston ($700,000), Blountstown ($440,764), Bristol ($649,881), Gretna ($700,000), and the towns of Mayo ($650,000), Monticello ($700,000) and Hillard ($700,000).

The only county receiving grant funding is Washington County at $3,482,300.

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